I am sure most of you are familiar with the common belief that saturated fatty acids are the culprit of obesity and cardiovascular ailments. I am also sure most of you are familiar with the low carbohydrate craze that flooded the media about 10 years ago due to The Atkins Diet. Dr. Atkins ideas were definitely outside of the box, and while not perfect, they were on the right track. The recommended diet for optimal health, according to the original USDA food pyramid from 1992 is a very low-fat, low protein and high carbohydrate based diet. As we know, if this diet was truly nutritionally sound then we wouldn't be facing such a high obesity epidemic at present. It is pretty clear that the nutritional food pyramid is grossly outdated and the public needs to be properly educated on proper nutrition. In actuality, high carbohydrate consumption is truly the explanation for the growing number of people diagnosed with diabetes, high triglycerides, elevated blood pressure and obesity. People need to understand that carbohydrates are not nutritionally essential for survival. Amino acids and fatty acids are mandatory for proper manufacturing of new tissue repair, immune function, hair, skin, nails, cellular integrity, brain, and heart health.

Back in the day people survived off of protein and fats

For the typical desk job citizen who performs minimal daily activity, getting rid of carbohydrates in place of red meat, eggs and cheese would be in their best interest. As for extreme athletes, like Marathon runners, Football players, Swimmers, and Cyclists involved in high levels of activity, strategic carbohydrate consumption would be extremely advantageous for supplying adequate energy reserves for optimal performance. For the weight lifters, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiast's that want muscular growth and low body fat levels, trading carbohydrates for saturated fats will be extremely conducive to the goal of attaining the ideal physique. Training with weights is not extremely energy demanding and typically only lasts around an hour. Most people train in the low to medium rep range consisting of 6-12 repetitions. This will not require extreme amounts of glucose to effectively and efficiently perform. In fact, once you metabolically shift into relying on protein and fats as your primary energy substrates, you will be able to surprise yourself in the gym and become stronger without carbohydrates. When you are consuming high protein and fats and non-starchy vegetables, you will still be able to accumulate glycogen from trace carbs from protein turnover (gluconeogenesis) and vegetables. By the end of the day, your carb count could add up to 30-70 grams depending on your total

"When you are consuming high protein and fats and non-starchy vegetables, you will still be able to accumulate glycogen from trace carbs from protein turnover (gluconeogenesis) and vegetables."

caloric intake and food choices. This is why I recommend people following a low carbohydrate diet to perform cardio in the morning to burn the most body fat, however, since glucose will always be low, you could benefit from cardio at any time of the day. I also advise people to weight train in the evening as you will have built up sufficient glycogen from incidental carbohydrates eaten throughout the day. Keep in mind that you can also derive energy from your creatine phosphate stores and ATP reserves. These powerhouse energy sources come into play on your first few reps during exercise. Once these fuel substrates are depleted, then glycogen will come into play. Creatine phosphate levels will be completely restored after 4 minutes of rest.

_ATP_P = ADP and Energy

_ADP + P = ATP

_Creatine = Supply of P

(Creatine Phosphate above)

(Fatty acid oxidation above)

The coolest attribute to this way of dieting is that you will be a fat burning machine. You will constantly be mobilizing free fatty acids from the mitochondria and from intra-muscular triglycerides. Making the core of your nutrition plan comprised of lean red meat, whole eggs, cheese, and green vegetables will give you the option of selecting two different scenarios depending on your total caloric intake and energy expenditure. The first scenario is a muscle gaining phase. You will need to be in a high caloric surplus to accrue tissue. You will most likely stay leaner while in that surplus due to your favorable hormonal environment. Your serum insulin levels will be regulated and testosterone output will be optimized. The second scenario is entering a cutting or fat-loss phase. This will require a slight to moderate caloric deficit with less cardio then you would need with higher carbohydrate consumption.

Given the two scenarios, it is clear to understand that you will yield the best results with a protein and saturated fat based diet. You will stay leaner when gaining size and retain more tissue when reaching very low body fat levels, since ketones have been shown to exhibit a muscle sparing effect. An interesting study investigated the ideology that "A calorie is a calorie" is not accurate and The Laws of Thermodynamics do not apply regarding high fat, low carbohydrate diets. The study involved subjects who followed a low carb, higher fat diet and subjects who followed a low fat, high carbohydrate diet. The low carb group ingested a higher caloric value than subjects on a low-fat diet and lost more weight, in addition to burning more calories throughout the day. The low-carb group ate 54 extra calories a day and lost 5.8 kg while the low-fat group lost only 1.9 kg.

Another researcher discovered that people eating 300 extra calories a day on a low-carb diet lost a similar amount of weight. Another study I will mention is one regarding a 6-week very low carbohydrate diet and its effects on total and regional body composition. Results revealed some amazing details. Fat mass was decreased (-3.4 kg) while lean body mass substantially increased (+1.1 kg) at the end of the 6 week trial. Researchers believed that the fat loss can be attributed to decreased serum insulin levels and increased fatty acid oxidation due to elevated beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations. This proves that a calorie is not always a calorie and different macronutrients influence specific metabolic actions in the body once consumed.

After siphoning through several research papers and experimenting with numerous protein formula’s I found the answer…

“What is the best protein drink for gaining muscle?”

I will briefly go over the common protein powder sources that are highly available and readily used by most health and fitness enthusiast. I WILL NOT expand too much on each type of protein as this article isn’t a long winded “fact sheet.”

Most people involved in the health/fitness and Bodybuilding industry are all too familiar with whey protein, namely whey protein concentrate (WPC) & whey protein isolate (WPI). Both of these whey proteins are considered “fast digesting” and have a high biological value (91). WPI & WPC are typically used pre & post training or anytime someone needs a fast and efficient protein source in their body.

Also highly sought after are the “slower digesting proteins” such as calcium caseinate and micellar casein, with a slightly lower biological value than WPI &WPC (77). These milk proteins are highly regarded as “night time” protein for their slow and steady amino acid delivery.

Recently, peptide based proteins have generated a lot of buzz due to their potential to be rapidly taken up into the blood stream, virtually by-passing the digestion process.Whey protein hydrolysate and casein hydrolysate(PeptoPro) are the 2 proteins that fall into this category. These hydrolyzed versions of whey and casein contain fragments of protein chains composed of 2-3 amino acids (di, tri & oligo) which are instantaneously absorbed and elevate blood
amino acid levels sky high.

A recent study compared both whey and casein and their effects on muscle protein synthesis (MPS) following resistance training.

The study used 17 healthy, young males as test subjects. They were devoid of medical ailments and were all in great physical condition. The subjects were randomized to participate in either 2 protein trials in randomized order or one control trial. protein trial group, 9 men and control trial group, 8 men.

The subjects came into the test facility all in a fasted state and underwent heavy resistance training consisting of 10 sets of 8 repetitions at a predetermined load corresponding to 80% of 1RM.

The very slow micellar casein and the very fast casein hydrolysate(PeptoPro) results in SIMILAR muscle protein synthesis response in the 6h postprandial period, with the casein hydrolysate having the largest MPS response in the early stages.

The conclusion of the study was obvious in the fact that whey initially
spiked MPS immediately and then quickly plummeted downward after the initial spike,
casein spiked MPS more moderately with a more prolonged elevation as time
passed. Immediate intake of whey and casein following heavy resistance training
in young men results in SIMILAR MPS response over the subsequent 6-h recovery
period.

Now – Back to the question of “What is the best protein drink for gaining muscle?”

From my research and personal, empirical experience I believe it is in one’s best interest to utilize a protein supplement that contains a ratio of 50% cold-filtered whey protein isolate & 35% micellar casein or Australian caseinate, and 15% hydrolyzed whey peptides.

Combining both FAST and SLOW assimilating, high quality protein sources have yielded the best results for not only me, but clients as well. You get the benefit of initial high blood amino acid levels and insulinogenic response from whey protein isolate & hydrolyzed whey peptides, then the micellar casein or Australian caseinate sustains blood amino acid levels for up to 7 hours, which elicits an anti-catabolic effect.

Australian Casein Benefits

Superior Amino Acid Profile compared to regular casein

Higher Glutamine Content compared to regular casein

4.5% Higher Protein Content compared to regular casein

Superior Solubility compared to regular casein (mix with a spoon)

I also find it advantageous to consume casein hydrolysate (PeptoPro)DURINGyour training session to keep blood amino acid levels elevated while not disrupting your gastro-intestinal tract, due to peptide proteins being pre-digested.